First Act The Nuvolone Family, Leo, Tecla and their two children, are about to leave for a national Boy Scout rally, but the carefree atmosphere of the day is broken by the sudden death of Leo’s elderly mother. After a physician comes to certify the death, Leo and Tecla must organise the funeral, arranging for everything from the coffin to the funeral plot, but a funeral director who appears out of nowhere plunges the family into a surreal nightmare. Second Act Callisto Cagnato, a much feared university professor, is also the father of Severiano. Callisto’s tyrannical character has left his son meek and insecure. Callisto realises that Severiano, though in his twenties, has few if any tied to the outside world, much less to women. During a university exam, the professor is favourably impressed by a student named Lucilla. He invites her home to meet his son. Unexpectedly the two young people find themselves drawn by a very strong attraction. Both feel they are victims of the circumstances life has dealt them: Severiano because of his domineering father, and Lucilla because she is an orphan who still olives in the nunnery where she was brought up. Third Act Moreno Vecchiarutti, wife Enza and their fourteen year-old son Steven are leaving for a vacation in Taormina, at the seaside town’s classiest hotel. The family is in the midst of a serious crisis. They have even tried couple therapy. At the suggestion of the psychologist who treats their son Steven,